Improvement in knitting-machines



Leander B Hull-ts Improved Knilfilg Macllne.

Flfg, l.

y PATEmD JUL 251871 UNITED STATES PATENT GFEIcE.

LEANDER B. HUNT, OEHYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANI) ROSWELL W. TURNER, OE SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN l KNlTTlNG-NIACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,293, dated July 25, 187] -To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it knownY that I, LEANDER B. HUNT, of Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement on Knitting-Machines 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to annexed drawing making a part of this specication, in which- Figure lis a ground plan; Fig. 2, an inside view; Fig. 3, an outside view 5 and Fig. 4, a section on the line on Fig. 1.

The nature of my invention consists in a new means of setting, throwing down into operating position, and raising out of said position the needles used in knitting-machines of the circular form, like or similar to Bickfords knittingmachine, for the purpose of knitting anymarticle entire without dropping any stitch.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my knitting-machine in any of the known circular forms with the ordinary working groove or grooves in the cylinder or barrel; then I make another groove, a, of similar depth and breadth at the upper part of the interior surface of the cylinder, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. I make the upper edge of the cylinder, called the ring, to be removable, and to project within the inner surface of the cylinder; then I make in the inner surface ofthe cylinder two diagonal grooves, marked b and' c, at any desired distance from each other, and in any part of the circumference, to connect the two grooves before mentioned, and to be of similar depth and breadth. The entrances of these diagonal grooves are opened and closed at will by the latches d e f g,

Fig. 2, which are controlled bythe thumb-pieces,

h j k, Fig. 3, on the outer surface of the cylin'- der.

Then, to operate the machine as improved, Il remove the ring at the top of the cylinder as usual, and set all the needles in the upper groove 5 then replace the ring; then open either of the upper latches and turn the machine toward the opening thus made, and the needles willbe thrown down into` the lower or working groove. When,

in the course of the knitting, it becomes necessary to throw up or take one or more of the needles out ofthe working groove, as, for instance, in the knitting of the heel of a stocking, I throw down oneof the lower latches-the one or the other-as the machine is turned to the right or left; then by turning the machine the requisite 'niunber of needles will be thrown up intothe upper groove and remain there, retaining fthe' stitches and ready to be returned with' the 1n at the proper time into the working groove 5 then the upper latch is closed, and a slight reverse movement is imparted to the machine 5 then the lower latch is closed, and the knitting goes on with the needles which are left in the lower groove.

Vhen itis desired to return the needles, with the work attached thereto, which were left in the upper groove to the working groove, as is the case after knitting the gore or heel of the` stocking, and when the foot is to be knit, it is done by an operation the reverse of that before described for turning the needles out of fplace, and they come back into the working groove with the work attached and no stitch dropped,

Witnesses:

E. B. PAGE, G. L. SHEPARD. 

